U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Trump Effort to Retain His Name on the Kennedy Center

A federal appeals court denied President Donald Trump’s request to halt the removal of his name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The three‑judge panel of the D.C. Circuit ruled that Trump failed to demonstrate any irreparable injury if the name was removed, noting that the signage had already been taken down and that the administration offered no specific evidence of financial harm.

The dispute stems from a December 2025 board decision that added Trump’s name to the center, which a federal judge ordered removed in May 2026 for exceeding the institution’s authority. Following the judge’s order, the Kennedy Center’s board appealed, but the appellate court upheld the removal. The center has also eliminated references to Trump from its website, invitations, and YouTube pages. Lawmakers, including Rep. Joyce Beatty, hailed the ruling as affirmation that the renaming effort was unlawful.